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Sunday, November 29, 2009

My Mom and step-Dad were visiting this past weekend, and we had our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. It was delicious! Thanks to the fact that my stamping room is back upstairs and not down in the basement, I still managed to do some stamping while they were here, and even had the pleasure of having my Mom sit beside me to watch and chat with me while I stamped and colored! (Hi Mom! Are you reading this?)

However, for this first card, she was not at my side because I did not sleep a WINK Saturday night, and finally gave up trying at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. So I got up and checked out the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS, and decided to play along. MrsBoz is the Featured Stamper this week, so I chose this card from her gallery to CASE and create my card. I used a new stamp set I recently got from Papertrey Ink called Everyday Button Bits and some fun new paper from October Afternoon.

I started making this card because I have this stamp at the store and it isn't selling. But then I got carried away and used items on the card that I don't have at the store, so.....I made this one instead! The Mary & Joseph stamp is from Whipper Snapper Designs. The "O Come" sentiment is from Inkadinkado, and the "Celebrate the Season" sentiment is from Hero Arts. Papers are from Imaginisce and Basic Grey "Eskimo Kisses" respectively.And finally, here's another card made because the stamp is gathering dust on the store shelves, so I decided to make a sample card to hopefully inspire people to buy! This one is from Impression Obsession, and the papers are from the Belle 6x6 pad from KaiserCraft.Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, November 27, 2009

I just could not resist some of these new Pure Innocence images from My Favorite Things! I created this card on Thanksgiving evening. This set must be sold out, as I don't see it on the MFT website. I also used Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday sketch #45 for the layout, changing the circle to an oval to accomodate my image.

Hope you're having a great weekend! We are having Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday at noon, and I am ready for turkey and all the fixin's!

Today's Stamp Simply challenge is Mass Production! Thanksgiving is officially over, and if you're mailing out Christmas cards this year, you ought to be pretty close to having them done by now! In case you're not ready, the Stamp Simply team will show you a variety of designs today that will inspire you to set up your own assembly line and get crackin' on those last few dozen cards you need to get done!

My card was designed, and eight cards created in a little over an hour. This included using the Cuttlebug to cut out all the white circles, the red scalloped circles, and using the Cuttlebug embossing border on the aqua blue strips!

My stamps are all from Hero Arts. For the snowman, I inked with Versafine in Onyx Black then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I used a marker to quickly color in the carrots, and a red band on the top hats. I stamped a snowflake randomly in the background on the kraft cardstock bases using Versamark Dazzle Frost ink. And the sentiment is also stamped with Versafine in Onyx Black.

Stop by Sharon Johnson's blog to see her fabulous mass-producted creation! And be sure to stop by Bethany Paull's blog to see her creations as well. We're sad that our month with Bethany as a guest designer has come to an end already!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

It's another great color combination for the Throwdown this week, and Barbara was inspired by the beauty of Fall when she picked these colors! I hope you'll be inspired enough to join us this week! Remember, you don't have to have these exact colors... just use whatever you have that is similar!

I chose to go with a Thanksgiving theme for my card, seeing as how we'll be celebrating tomorrow with food and family! My beautiful "Horn of Plenty" stamp comes from Whipper Snapper Designs, and I used the "thanks" sentiment from Melanie Muenchinger's "A Year of Leaves" stamp set. I also used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch challenge #49 for the layout.We're sad that today marks our last day with November Guest Designer, Elise Durenberger! Elise's enthusiasm is so wonderful, and I've enjoyed getting to work with her and getting to know her better! Please stop at her blog to see her wonderful creation for today! Then stop by and see what the other Throwdown designers have created to inspire you!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Here are just a few cards I worked on over the weekend. This first one gave me a chance to use some new things... my new Everyday Button Bits stamp set from Papertrey Ink, and some PTI buttons and cardstock. And this adorable flowered paper from the Farm Fresh 8x8 pad from October Afternoon. I recently got these paper pads in stock at the store, and am so in love with the patterns and colors! This card is for a family who we've known for years, that recently started attending our church. They came one week but we haven't seen them since, so I thought maybe a card to say "hope to see you again soon!" will bring them back! I took a lot of liberty, but was inspired by Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #48 from this past week for the layout.

For my second card, I took inspiration for the layout from the Fall-to Layout #69 at Clean & Simple Stamping. Of course, I didn't read the blog post before I started working, so my card is not one-layer as intended with the sketch! For some reason, I just can't bring myself to do a one-layer card. It just seems naked to me! You can see that I was compelled to add just a bit of ribbon to this, too. The 90-year old mother of the man who leads our Sunday School class passed away this weekend, so this card is for his family.Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope everyone is managing to stay healthy as we prepare for Thanksgiving this week! I myself have a head cold again, but am hoping to be better by the weekend when my Mom and step-Dad arrive!

DRS Designs is sponsoring the sketch challenge over at Card Positioning Systems this week! It's a great sketch... hop on over there, take a look and join in the fun!

For my card, I chose to use this new Giant Poinsettia stamp from DRS. It's a beautiful image to color! I colored mine, then cut it out and mounted it on top of a piece of paper die cut with the Labels 4 Nestabilities. That piece of paper, along with the striped paper comes from a new 6x6 pad of paper from KaiserCraft called Belle. My cardstock colors are Stampin' Up! Always Artichoke and Cranberry Crisp. The Artichoke circle was embossed with the Snowflake Cuttlebug folder.

I used the Peace, Hope and Love sentiment stamp on the inside, paired with some Natural Ivory SU! cardstock, and a die cut scalloped border from the KaiserCraft 6x6 pad.See what the other DRS designers have created for this sketch challenge, too!

Friday, November 20, 2009

For today's Stamp Simply challenge, Sharon wants you to Wrap It Up! Here's the details, in her words...

Since Christmas is just around the corner and many use the Thanksgiving weekend to get a head start on wrapping their gifts, today let's share gift wrapping ideas. You may wrap ANYTHING for ANY OCCASION in any way, any form or fashion -- just show us some of your wrapping ideas. Examples: Wrap a card in a handmade envelope, wrap a gift of food in a handmade box or decorated bag, wrap a box with beautiful ribbon and tag, make wrappers for tiny food treats (bars, gum, candies, cookies). The sky is the limit on this one -- just wrap something so it's ready to give as a gift.

So, there you go! Wrap it up, girls! I kind of took an easy route with this, and I don't know if you'd necessarily call this "wrapping" but it is a quick gift idea! These are the same Ghiradelli matchbook cards that I made for last week's challenge, but now with a Christmas theme, and perfect to have on hand for giving during the season. My hope is to have a big basket of these for my family to take from when the need arises... a quick gift for the bus driver, Sunday School teachers, the nice neighbor who always walks by with a smile and a wave... you get my drift, right?

I used some new stamps from DRS for my design, and went with a favorite color combo for this time of the year. And there, peeking out from inside is the decadence! And hazelnut is the best of all, ya' know! It's like a nice chunk of Nutella in a solid state! Come to think of it, why doesn't Nutella make a candy bar? I'm going to have to write to that company!We welcome Jennifer Buck back to the Stamp Simply team after a little break! Barb Schram filled in so nicely while Jen took a break and her designs are so extra-fabulous that Sharon asked her to stay on, and she said yes! We've got such an awesome team of designers... be sure to stop by their blogs today and see what they've created to inspire your quick gift-giving needs! And of course, make your first stop at Sharon's blog to see her amazing sample!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Time for another Throwdown everyone, and Cathy has chosen some pretty colors for us that can easily work for Fall, Christmas or whatever your blessed stampin' heart desires! And were thrilled to have Flourishes sponsoring our challenge this week, too! Be sure and stop by the Throwdown blog to read more about Flourishes, and also find out about the wonderful prize they're offering this week to one random participant!

Remember, just use whatever colors you have that are similar to these! And if you want to be considered for the prize from Flourishes or for the Featured Stamper distinction your entry must be entered with Mr. Linky by 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 22nd. Remember to use a direct link to your entry! General blog links will get deleted!

For my card, I chose to work with the Seasonal Wreaths stamp set, and paired it with the Mojo Monday sketch #113 for this week, and some paper from the Nutmeg mini-deck from Cosmo Cricket. My gingham ribbon is May Arts and comes from the Stamp Simply Ribbon store.Stop by and see what the other Throwdown designers have created for the challenge this week!

Monday, November 16, 2009

My fabulous friend Anita came over this past Saturday and helped me with moving a ton of stuff to make my new stamp room! And she brought some new Stampin' Up stamps with her and left this cute set, called Love Bug, behind for me to play with! I decided to try a new-to-me sketch challenge this week, the Sweet Sunday Sketch from Karen Giron. This is sketch #44, and its a fantastic layout! Give it a try this week!

I wish my photography skills were better... this cute little caterpillar has all kinds of sparkle on him, added with some Spica glitter pens, but it just doesn't show up!

And hey, speaking of Karen... take a look at my new watermark! When I visited Karen's blog a few days ago, I noticed that she makes watermarks for a very reasonable price. Being kinda' tired of my old one, I decided to have her make me a new one. And that she did, very quickly and perfectly! If you're in the mood for a new watermark (or maybe a holiday watermark... she does those, too!) visit this link on her blog.

Thanks for stopping by today! Please come back to see me tomorrow for a new Color Throwdown challenge!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Hey everyone, did you have a good weekend? I hope yours was as great as mine! If you follow me on Facebook or have chatted with me recently, you know that I've been in the process of moving my stamp room from the basement back up to the first floor of the house. When we bought this house, we were able to purchase some very nice bookcase-style shelving units from my husband's company. We used them to section off a corner of our basement and create a room that was intended to be a TV/hang-out room for our daughters, especially when they had friends over. Turned out that they didn't actually use the room very often, and a few years later when I became a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! I decided to move my stamping stuff from the computer room to the basement so that I had a nice place to spread out and have stamp camps. In July of 2008 I actually posted pictures on my old blog of my basement Stamping Sanctuary that you can see here.

Since taking my job with Toyrifix in July of 2007, I had to drop being a demo for SU! so at-home stamp camps don't take place anymore. I've gradually become tired of being isolated in the basement away from my family while stamping, and especially didn't like not having the computer close by. I also found that because I had so much space, I think I was collecting/hoarding a lot of stuff. So, I decided to move back upstairs to the computer room where I originally started out when we bought this house, and hence have renamed the room.... my Stamputer Room! LOL No explanation needed, right... stamps and the computer! What more does a girl need (well, maybe chocolate... it's in here, but it's hidden from the rest of the family!) Wanna see my new space??? (click on any of the pictures for a closer view)

I was very fortunate a few years ago to be able to buy this 8' table (on the right) from my church at a very low price when new tables were purchased, so it's perfect for my needs. Butted up against the table is a smaller 5' table. The table top was actually in our garage when we moved in, and my husband built the legs for it. It's rough-looking, but suits my needs perfectly!

From the doorway you can see the TV in the far corner, and the computer desk... my connection to all of my wonderful stamping friends!

And to the right of the big 8' table is a hutch-style cabinet which holds a lot of supplies! My Cuttlebug, Nestabilities and embossing folders have their space at the end of the table.

Here's a close-up of that 5' table, and on top are two cabinets that my sweet hubby made me years ago. These hold all my designer papers, and on the left are miscellaneous cardstocks, and all my SU! cardstock. To the right is an acrylic unit that holds all my Bazzill and Core'dinations cardstock. On top of the cabinets are containers holding miscellaneous cardstocks, and my Papertrey Ink cardstock. The long shelf above holds all my scraps! I actually disposed of a lot of scraps with this move, but still have significant amounts, and I DO use my scraps!

Here's a peek into the corner with my SU! ink pads, and a little 3-drawer unit with various items. More embellishments... brads, gemstones, flowers, buttons, etc. are in baskets here and there.

And here's my main workspace with my highly-prized Lazy Susan holding lots of tools, and my precious Copic markers. Pinned to the wall is a "love note" from Becky Oehlers that she left me at Stamping Around last weekend! LOL She is SUCH a hoot!

And here on this hutch, you can see ALL my stamps! Some are stored in CD cases there on the left, and a variety of JustRite stamps are stored in their original boxes or plastic cases. My wood-mounted stamps are in containers on the second shelf, along with my big clear box of flowers. On the top shelf are two containers with alterable items I have on hand... some tins, jars, composition books, etc.

But here's the part I'm most proud of... my own version of the Clip-It-Up! This white wire shelving unit actually came up from the basement stamp room, and fit perfectly on this hutch! I purchased what are called "dangler clips" from one of my suppliers at the store, and all of my clear and unmounted stamp sets hang by those clips in their original packaging from this shelf! (see below for a close-up!)

So there you have it... my new Stamputer Room! After taking these pictures, I have determined that a coat of paint is very necessary, but that might have to wait until Spring.... it definitely needs something to warm it up! I'd also love to find an area rug for the floor at some point, and a little table to sit in front of the window and hold my sewing machine would be great! I might just hit a few thrift shops in the coming days to see what I can find along those lines!

Along with moving, I have also purged a lot of stuff! I'm passing on whatever I can starting with this....

I sorted through all of my designer papers and got rid of anything I didn't want anymore. I also went through scraps, and anything larger than 4" was saved. (This is designer paper only... no cardstock.) I also got rid of a lot of ribbon that I don't want anymore. I now have two Priority Mail flat rate boxes that are stuffed to the gills... each box is full of paper and ribbon. I make NO guarantees whatsoever as to what's in the boxes... I can only tell you that there's a great variety. The shipping rate on these boxes is $10.35. If you're interested in receiving one or both of these boxes, and can Paypal me the shipping rate, I'll send it out to you! Email me... tammyhershberger[at]gmail[dot]com if you're interested! (edited to add... both boxes have now been spoken for!)

Friday, November 13, 2009

Sharon says "don't be playing with matches!" for today's Stamp Simply challenge! :) Well, no she didn't really say that... I'm just being silly! But we are making cards with a matchbook fold today! I haven't made one of these in eons, so this was a lot of fun! I think my design looks like it's missing something though, but I left it alone in the spirit of stamping simply!

And actually, for my design I used a tutorial I found on Splitcoaststampers that includes a pocket inside that perfectly holds a Ghiradelli chocolate! Hello, yumminess! This was so super-easy to make I think I'll work on some more in a Christmas-theme just to have on hand for the upcoming holidays! Check out the tutorial here for all the measurements and directions!

Sharon has an as-always fabulous sample for you to see on her blog, along with all the challenge details! And my Stamp Simply Sisters have wonderful inspiration for you to see, too!

I'm in the process this weekend of moving my stamp room! Anyone who feels like cleaning, hauling and organizing... come on over! :) I'll be purging a lot too, so keep an eye out for some things for sale and other things I might just give away!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Color Throwdown is being hosted by Broni this week, and she chose these beautiful brights for us to work with! And the challenge is being sponsored by Simon Says Stamp, so if you play along you could be randomly chosen to win some spending money at their store! One lucky participant will also be chosen as our Featured Stamper for the week!

Since Broni specified a dark neutral in this week's colors, I decided to use dark gray for these sweet elephants! This is a set exclusive to Simon Says Stamp called Elephant Love.

Check out what the other Throwdown designers have created this week for inspiration!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Well, the much anticipated Stamping Around Philly weekend has come and gone! :( I can't believe how anxiously I looked forward to this, how far in the future it seemed to be, and Beth and I both lamented on the way home Saturday night that we couldn't believe it was over already! Now begins the task of convincing Julie and Kim that a Stamping Around Ohio needs to take place! Who's with me on that?

Beth and I had so much fun, despite getting re-routed 2 hours out of our way on Friday because the interstate was closed down for 11 miles! What should have been a 6 hour drive ended up taking 8 hours, and we arrived just in time for the first class on Friday night! Beth proved to be an awesome navigator with her iPhone as I did all the driving, and we talked and talked the whole time!

I was so proud to haveJustRite Stampers sponsoring my class at the event! They generously donated all the stamps that were used in the class, and those were given away as door prizes when we were done! There were many ladies that were thrilled to win those stamps! Here is what everyone made for my class, using the new 'Tis the Season paper from Bo Bunny, and cardstock from Gina K Designs.

Everyone got to make one of these great little boxes to hold four tea light candles. The idea for this was inspired by a 3-D Tuesday project on Paper Craft Planet designed by Lori Tecler. We used the Merry Little Christmas stamp set from JustRite for this project.And for this tent-topper style card, we used the Old Fashioned Christmas stamp set.I was SO lucky to get to go to this event and meet some online, blogging friends, too! LeAnne Pugliese (in the center) and I have been friends for several years now, and I was so thrilled to get to meet her in person for the first time! She is gorgeous and petite and has the cutest clothes and the greatest smile! And Kristin Bueter was our Guest Designer on the Color Throwdown back in September, and ever since then she and I have become fast friends, so I was so excited that she was able to come to Stamping Around too and to get to meet her! She's even prettier in person with gorgeous style, and I know we could have stayed up all night gabbing and stamping if we'd had more energy! Kristin and LeAnne had a very sweet girl named Jackie who roomed with them, and I was happy to get to know her better, too!Here's my friend Beth (on the left) stamping away on my project with Korin Sutherland, the owner of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps! Korin was such a sweetheart and we were so happy to have her there as she taught a bonus class on Friday night, too! I won a stamp set from her, and can't wait to get some use out of it. Ironically, Beth and I traveled all that way together but never once thought to have someone snap our picture together! LOL I guess because we see each other all the time, the notion didn't occur to us!And here I am with Becky Oehlers! Becky and I were on the Kitchen Sink Stamps team together, and have one of those soul-sister connections! I knew we'd hit it off if we ever got the chance to meet, and I was right! She's amazingly funny, and energetic, and sweet (and gave me the most awesome back rub when I arrived on Friday night!) Her Papertrey Ink project was fabulous!Here's everyone working hard with their JustRite stamps during my class!And here is the group of all the teachers from the event, left to right... Korin Sutherland, me, Becky, Kim Schofield and Julie Masse (the Stamping Around founders and organizers), and in front is Charmaine Ikach and Kathi Rerek. Julie's class used some cute new stamps from Kitchen Sink (that I just had to buy to bring home!), Kathy did some fun projects from Bombshell Stamps, and Charmaine had us make an adorable box full of cards using stamps from Taylored Expressions.

Many thanks to Julie and Kim for all the hard work they put in to this event! It was so much fun, and I seriously want them to plan the next one in Ohio! (*subliminal message to Julie and Kim... Come to the Buckeye State... come to the Buckeye State... come to the Buckeye State!*)